Makuhari International School is a newly opened K-6 international school in Chiba Prefecture, JAPAN. It opened its doors to 150 boys and girls in 2009 and caters to Japanese Returnee, Dual Nationality and Foreign children. This is a government-run international school, actively supported by Chiba Government and the first and only international school in Japan with ‘Article One’ status. This means that students here may transfer easily into the Japanese education system at any time, or move on to other international schools of their choice after graduation. Currently in it’s third year of operation; enrollment is now close to 300 children from about 20 nationalities. It basically follows the Japanese Curriculum taught in English (except for Japanese Language and Culture subjects), and adding content and objectives from other curricula mainly from the UK.

An international school catering to foreign, dual-nationality and Japanese returnee children.

In the news earlier:

Pioneering international school opens in Chiba Prefecture

CHIBA (Kyodo) — An international school operating under the Japanese education system, the first of its kind , opened in Chiba’s booming Makuhari area Saturday.

Located about 30 kilometers west of the town Tokyo, Makuhari International School offers kindergarten and primary school programs. Teachers have been recruited from five countries including Canada and New Zealand.

The school is certified as an educational institution operating under the supervision of the Education, Science and Technology and Ministry.

All classes, except Japanese-language ecourses, are conducted in Englsh to cater to children of foreign nationals working in Japan and Japanese children who have returned from abroad.

Usually schools offering classes mainly inEnglish or other foreign languages cannot be certified under the Japanese education sstem in light of rigorous shcool curriculum guidelinesset by the education ministy.

MIS has taken advantage of the government’s special deregulation program that enables the flexible application of the guidelines. As MIS operates under the Japanese education system, students are able to switch to regular Japanese schools.

*** also in previous news ***

Makuhari International School to open in 2009

Makuhari International School which caters for Japanese returnees, dual national and dual nationals and foreign children aged between 3 and 12 (in their initial year), is due to open in April 2009 in Chiba Prefecture’s waterfront development, Makuhari New City.

It is the first fully recognized international school in the prefecture and the first international school in Japan to be fully supported by the Japanese government and recognized under Article One of the Education Law.

“Among other things, having Article One status allows J children to transfer more easily to Japanese junior high schools after leaving Makuhari International School — if that is their wish” explained Paul Rogers, founding head of school. Rogers was previously head of school at St Michael’s International School at Kobe.

Because of the financial benefits of being an Article One school, Makuhari International School can offer substantially reduced tuition fees. “In some cases, our fees are up to half those of similar schools in Tokyo, even though we believe we will be offering better resources in some areas,” said Rogers.

The status also influences the curriculum, which is fairly unique.

“We will be following the objectives of the Japanese curriculum. However this is only our basis. In reality, we will expand on these, as well as supplement them with objectives and content from other various curriculum. This will make our curriculum extremely rich and diverse, and of course very universal in flavor”, Rogers explained.

“And how we teach will be very international, in terms of teaching styles as well as the teachers we employ, he continued. For example children can learn better in different ways, whether this is visually, orally or kinesthetically. Because we understand this and consider it to be so important the teachers we employ have to hold the same beliefs and understanding. Those educators will be native English teachers, working abroad, who are experienced and know how to teach in a variety of different styles,” he said, adding that he planned to initially interview prospective teachers in November in the United Kingdom. “Employing the right teachers will be the most important thing that I can do before next April. We can spend millions of yen on wonderful physical resources and have a beautiful school, but that doesn’t matter without the right staff.”

And the school will have impressive resources and facilities. Buildings, including a large multipurpose hall and media center, have been diesigned to be light and spacious. Modern resources such as wireless laptops and interactive smart boards, as well as excellent outside palygorund equipment, and furntiturea and teaching resources largely from the U.K. will create an create an international learning environment. Outside there are various areas, including a nature study area, rolling hills in the kindergarten section, a large grass field, a gardening area and a courtyard connected to the media center, where children can go outside to study.

“These outside resources will always be an important part of our environment — we have no intention of expanding on this site,” said Rogers. “Our school size will never be more than 400 chidlren, which is a really nice number. For us the most importortant thing is quality, not quantity.”

The establishment of the school has been much anticipated by Makuhari residents as well as those farther afield, and the school will no doubt help to provide a much-needed educational facility for international residents in the area.
“Having a good school here is extremely important. Children and their futures are usually the most importotant consideration. Hopefully we’re a reassurance to those families as well as an attraction, ” said Rogers. “However, ultimately, our aim is to be recognized as the best international school in Japan. A school of choice and not of convenience. We want people to come here because we are a wonderful school and not because we’re the only choice.”
For more info about the school visit www.mismis.or.jp or contact (043)296-0277 .

Mission statement: Saturday, July 5, 2008
State, Chiba to fund international school
By TAKAHIRO FUKADA
Staff writerJapan Times Saturday, July 5, 2008

The nation’s first international school subsidized by the central government will open next April in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Gov. Akiko Domoto said Friday.

By supporting the school, the prefectural government hopes to attract top businesspeople and academics from around the world, she said.
Makuhari International School, to be managed as a private entity, plans to accommodate around 400 children for three-year kindergarten and six-year elementary school programs and charge lower tuition fees than similar schools, officials said.
“Today we must compete for more direct investment with every other region in Japan,” Domoto said at a luncheon at The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo.
One of the key elements is international schools, Domoto said. “Without them, we can’t support an international workforce,” she stressed.
With those aims in mind, the prefecture is leasing the land for the school at a low price. And since the central government approved the school as meeting the state’s official curriculum and other criteria, it will also subsidize it.
That subsidy is allowing the school to keep tuition fees at an affordable level: ¥1.2 million for kindergarten and ¥1.5 million for elementary grades one through six. The fees are roughly half of what other international schools charge, the officials said.
All subjects except Japanese will be taught in English in 20- to 24-student classes. The student body is expected to be half Japanese and half from overseas, the officials said. “I want to make Makuhari the best international school in Japan,” Prospective Principal Paul Rogers said at the luncheon.
Gov. Domoto hopes Makuhari will be a precedent for other regions to follow and boost the country’s internationalization.
“If this kind of school opens in Tokyo or Osaka, everyone . . . returnees and foreign children will be much happier and able to study well,” she told The Japan Times after the luncheon.
Formal enrollment will begin this autumn. For more information, call the school preparatory foundation at (043) 2… , or visit the Web site at http://www.mis.ed.jp/